10 Common Un-Green Organic Gardening Practices You Might Be Guilty Of

You've done the big, important things in your garden: you kicked the synthetic pesticide and fertilizer habits. You compost and mulch. You realize that not all bugs are bad bugs. But there are still a few things you could be doing that might surprise you.

Not So Green Gardening Practices

1. Over-watering.

You know that your plants need water to grow well and produce all of that wonderful food. But there is such a thing as "killing with kindness," and over-watering your garden plants is a good example of this. When you give a plant too much water, you end up suffocating the plant because the roots need oxygen. This stresses the plant, resulting in weak growth, poor flower and fruit production, and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases.

The Solution: Only water plants that actually need it. Water when the top inch or two of soil is dry, and then, water deeply.

2. Watering on a Schedule.

This is related to over-watering, and is more common among those of us who have our sprinklers or drip irrigation systems on a timer. Your plants probably don't need water every Tuesday and Thursday, and even if some of them do, not all of them need that much water. When you water frequently and shallowly, you encourage the roots to stay in the top couple of inches of soil, where they are more likely to dry out during periods of drought (or if your irrigation system goes haywire.)

The Solution: Check soil moisture level by hand, and water only when the plants need it. If you must have the sprinklers or emitters on an automated system, try running it once or twice a week, but for longer periods of time (you'll have to observe to see how long is enough. Once the water stops absorbing into the ground and starts running off, you've gone too long!)

3. Not companion planting.

I know. I've heard it before. "Companion planting isn't a proven method." To that, I say "have you tried it?" I practice companion planting in my garden, and have no doubt that I see stronger growth and fewer insect pest problems. I'm also able to make better use of the space I have, simply by using the principles behind companion planting. The Solution: Learn more about companion planting. Find out which plants help protect your veggies from insects, which ones help them grow better, and which ones share space well with the rest of your garden plants. You'll end up working less and getting so much more from your garden. 4. Over-fertilizing. If one cup of organic fertilizer is good, two must be better, right? Wrong! Too much fertilizer (especially fertilizers high in nitrogen) often just results in weak, spindly stem and foliar growth, and reduced fruit production. On a larger level, fertilizers, even organic ones, end up in watersheds and groundwater, where they can cause the growth of both native and non-native plants to run amok. The Solution: Only use the amount of fertilizer recommended on the package. If you're unsure, look online for specifications for whichever product or amendment you're using. 5. Not saving seeds from your garden. I've been spending a lot of time researching who owns our garden seeds lately, and it's been a bit scary. Did you know that Seminis, which is owned by Monsanto, owns 75% of all tomato seed varieties. 75%! But what they don't own, what they can't own, are the heirlooms that have been grown for generations, that are open-pollinated, saved, and planted and passed along by gardeners. When we buy our seeds from the store, or from the vast majority of seed catalogs, we're buying those varieties that some corporate committee has decided are most profitable. We're funding the homogenization of our food supply. We're losing access to hundreds of heirloom plant varieties because gardeners aren't obsessively saving seed the way they used to. They know that they can always turn to a seed vendor for their garden seeds. And, in exchange, the seed vendors are giving us fewer options (especially fewer heirloom options). The Solution: Learn how to save seeds from all of the heirloom plants in your garden. Plant them, grow them, and keep saving the seeds. Join a seed exchange, either in your community or online, and help keep heirlooms going strong. 6. Buying "Organic" Commercial Potting Soil. This one might get me in some hot water, but I'm going to say it anyway. The most popular brand of organic potting soil on the market is sold by a company that has made its living off of selling the very chemicals that so many greenies rail against. So when we buy their "organic" potting soil, we're just putting money into the coffers of a company that, for the most part, only pays lip service to organic principles. It doesn't make much sense to me. And I've heard the argument that if we vote with our dollars and buy stuff from a company's organic line, that they'll stand up and listen. The only problem with that is that we are sorely outnumbered by those who have no problem with conventional fertilizers and pesticides. They're not going to stop making and promoting toxic lawn and garden chemicals just because a few of us buy their organic potting soil. All we're doing is adding to their bottom line. The Solution: Learn how to make your own organic potting soil. Get some compost or vermicompost, coir (a good sustainable alternative to peat), and perlite, and mix it in a 1:1:1 ratio. There you have it: organic, sustainable potting soil. 7. Being a lawn nut. Lawns are vast ecological wastelands that do nothing more than take up space and resources between our house and the street. I know that most of us need some lawn (for the all important back yard swingsets and football fields) but lawns, especially front lawns, are pretty useless. Even if you're not dousing your lawn with pesticides and chemicals, chances are that you're watering it to keep it green, and mowing regularly (probably with a gas-powered mower.) Not the greenest option on the block. The Solution: Get rid of the lawn and plant a garden. Plant a vegetable and herb garden to help feed your family. Plant a berry patch. Plant a native perennial garden, or a garden to provide food for beneficial insects. But use that area for something other than supporting a resource guzzling monoculture that is nothing more than a throwback to our country's desire to "keep up with the Joneses" (really: lawns resulted from Americans traveling abroad and seeing the vast, perfectly manicured lawns at large European estates. They brought the idea back with them. And we ended up with a bunch of tract homes surrounded by grass.) 8. Not planting native plants. I am not saying you should never plant exotics (I have a few in my own garden) but we should all try to incorporate more native trees, shrubs, and perennials into our landscapes These plants evolved in our region, and, as a result, require much less coddling from us. They are able to handle our climate, precipitation, and native insect populations better than exotics. And they provide homes and food sources for our native wildlife. Besides that, they are beautiful, and often overlooked by many gardeners in lieu of showier, trendier plants. The Solution: Learn about native plants for your area. An excellent resource is eNature, where you can find lists and photos of plants native to your region. Most states have at least one good native plant nursery. Support these important, useful businesses by buying from them next time you purchase a tree or shrub for your garden. 9. Not providing nectar plants for pollinators. We know that bees are in peril, and that our food supply is in peril as a result. We can each do our part by making sure that we plant flowering plants that will provide food for these important creatures. And it's not just bees, but many wasps and flies that pollinate our garden plants as well. The Solution: Plant your garden with pollination in mind. Whether you have a large vegetable garden or a small orchard (or even just a typical suburban lot) be sure to tuck in a few plants to provide food sources for beneficial insects and those all-important pollinators. 10. Being too neat and tidy. I've mentioned before that all of that crazed "garden cleanup" does absolutely nothing for your soil, and that you should slack off a little if you want to get healthy soil. But you can slack off even more for a healthy garden. Stop obsessing over weeds, dead trees, leaf litter, and tall-ish grass. They provide food for insects, cover for birds and other wildlife, and mulch to keep the soil cool and moist. The Solution: Stop being a perfectionist. Weeds are not all evil, and neither is a bit of leaf litter. You'll be surprised at how many more birds and insects (many of them beneficial) you'll see in your garden once you relax your standards a little! I hope these ten suggestions get you thinking a little about the things you've "always done" in your garden, and how you can do them a little greener. For more tips on greener gardening, visit our Organic Gardening Feature.